


Won't You Take Me By the Hand

by Tito11



Series: I Had to Have This Talk With You (My Happiness Depends On You) [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-19
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 11:35:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/849094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tito11/pseuds/Tito11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.  </p><p>Tribal society!au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There’s a whole bucketful of things to keep in mind while reading. First, there’s a rape scene in this, and it’s fairly central to the plot. And maybe it’s not handled in the best way, but this isn’t an angsty rape-recovery fic, because that’s not what I wanted to write. There’s angst over it, sure, but I wanted a happy ending where it wasn’t an issue anymore, so that’s what happens. Of course, you could also make an issue for Stockholm Syndrome, but that’s really your prerogative. In my mind, it’s just a happy ending, end of story.
> 
> Second, this takes place in a universe where mpreg is totally legit and accepted. And since men can have kids, too, the dominant partner in the relationship is decided by age. The older partner is the head and the younger partner is the bride.
> 
> Third, the setting is an unspecified tribal society, at no particular point in terms of history or geography. Honestly, for inspiration I was using all those terrible romance clichés you hear about Native Americans kidnapping people from other tribes or settlements, but that’s obviously not what’s going on here, so I don’t even know…
> 
> Um, also, I realize this is absolutely not any of the things I’ve been promising updates on, but my muse, like loki, pretty much does what it wants.
> 
> Title from "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne
> 
>  
> 
> *Edited note* I'm picturing pre-serum steve here, but i never really said and can't figure out a way to just slip it into the story anywhere. i don't wanna tag for that, though, because it's not really an issue in the story, and no one, even steve, has a problem with it, so they don't even mention it

It’s nearly dawn by the time Tony staggers back to his tent, drunk as the proverbial skunk and shirt off to show off his spirit tattoo of the moon, big and blue and right over his heart. The festivities have died down some, but there are still members of the tribe around the fire, dancing and singing, and drinking to Tony’s health, not seeming to care that the guest of honor has left the party. It was a fantastic celebration, especially after the two long days he spent in the desert on his spirit quest. But now, he’s tired and drunk, his tattoo still hurts like a sonofabitch, and he just wants to lie down.

All that becomes less of a problem, though, when he gets back to his tent, the one that used to be his father’s but is now Tony’s, and sees that instead of Pepper in her usual spot, is a very beautiful boy. Tony’d forgotten about this part of the ritual. The boy’s probably about Pepper’s age, fifteen or sixteen, and he’s clearly just beginning to grow into himself, but he’s still very lovely, all blonde hair and shining blue eyes.

And, well, Tony’s drunk, so he goes for it, leaning in and kissing the kid. It’s nice for about two seconds, and then he yanks back, bleeding. The kid bit him! As Tony’s bringing his hand up to his mouth, assessing the damage, the kid begins to struggle in earnest. Of course, Tony designed these ropes himself, though not for this purpose, exactly, but they’re virtually impossible to get out of. Tony tells him so, not unkindly, he thinks, but the kid just growls at him and keeps trying.

Eventually the kid calms down a bit, though his chest is heaving and sweat is beading on his forehead. Tony feels a bit smug about how well the ropes held, but now probably isn’t the time. Instead, he runs his fingertip down the kid’s side. He means it to be soothing, but the kid jerks away. Not before Tony feels how hard he’s trembling, though. The boy’s probably terrified, Tony thinks, belatedly. And he should be, considering the reason they brought him here. Not every new bride is taken with love and care. Tony was young when his father remarried, but he remembers vividly the night Pepper was conceived. He’d been in the corner of the tent, supposedly asleep. Howard was a vicious lover and the poor lady had been crying in pain the entire time. But, well, Tony’s not his father.

“I won’t hurt you,” Tony says, slowly, keeping his hands at his own sides.

“Then let me go,” the boy demands, notes of both defiance and pleading in his voice.

“Can’t do it. Sorry, kid.” Tony tells him. And he is sorry, a bit. “If I let you go, you’ll run away. The entire camp is outside right now. They’re having a good time, but they won’t hesitate to end their night early to chase you down. When they find you, they’ll either kill you or bring you back. And either way, they’ll make another raid on your village. I don’t know where you’re from, but I guarantee we’re stronger and more than capable of tearing it apart. That’s not a threat, just the way it is.”

The boy looks away for a long moment and takes several deep breaths. Eventually, he looks back. His eyes are blank, face impassive. “Get on with it, then,” he says, dully.

“We can wait,” Tony offers, generously, he feels, but the kid shakes his head almost at once.

“No. I don’t want the- the anticipation to build up. Do it now.”

“I won’t hurt you,” Tony repeats, “I’ll be gentle.”

The boy is already naked and Tony mostly so. He pushes his pants off quickly, then skims a hand down the boy’s chest, carefully. He’s quite skinny, but he’s got the potential to fill out well. Wherever he came from, he probably didn’t eat as well as he should. With the solid, regular meals Tony will provide, he’ll put weight on quickly. Especially if he conceives tonight.  
Tony touches each of the boy’s nipples, and he jerks up, unwillingly. He tries to resist the pleasure, but he doesn’t quite succeed. When Tony strokes his cock, he whimpers, helplessly, then looks frustrated with himself. By the time Tony’s fingers are circling his hole, the boy knows he’s fighting a losing battle. It’s slow going, stretching the boy, one finger, then two sinking into the tight heat. He puts four fingers in the boy before he decides he’s ready. As he withdraws his fingers, the boy makes a shuddering little sound.

“Relax,” he tells the kid, then pushes slowly inside. It hurts, Tony can tell from the hitch in the boy’s breath and the way his eyes scrunch, but he makes no other sound of discomfort. He doesn’t cry, like Pepper’s mother had. Tony starts slow, easing himself in and out of the tight body. When he’s satisfied with how the boy’s reacting, his face smoothed out from the pained grimace he’d worn before, Tony switches it up a bit, changing the angle and the pace. A little harder and a little higher has the boy crying out with each thrust, loud enough to be heard even over the noise of the music and shouting outside the tent. They’re pleasure noises, though Tony can tell the boy is still clinging to his defiance, if only just. When he takes hold of the boy’s cock again, the last thread of resistance melts away and the boy comes all over Tony’s hand. He clenches so beautifully that Tony can’t last. He thrusts as deep as he can and comes, too.

After a while, Tony gets his breath back and withdraws from the boy. It triggers something in the kid, who begins to struggle again. “Stay still,” Tony says, a hand on his hip. “You’ve got a better chance at conception if you’re not moving.”

It’s true enough, Tony knows, though he’s never been a participant on either side before. In fact, all of his previous sexual encounters were specifically engineered to prevent conception. But Pepper’s mother had been a healer, and Tony the type of curious little boy who had a lot of questions about where babies came from. Tony’d only known the woman for three years, but he remembers her fondly, especially when he sees Pepper smile.

Tony realizes abruptly that the boy cannot be comfortable, all tied up like that. It makes Tony uneasy, now that he thinks about it. This boy is his bride, and it’s Tony’s job to provide for him and make sure he’s comfortable. With luck, they’ll have conceived tonight, so Tony doesn’t have to force himself on the kid again. Once was enough, and Tony feels bad enough about it already.

“I’ll untie you,” he says, reaching for the rope, “but you have to promise you won’t run. It’ll suck for everyone if you try to run, but it’ll especially suck for your village. Remember that, okay?”

Tony waits for the boy to nod before undoing the knots in the ropes. The boy’s hands immediately go to his wrists, rubbing at the raw patches there. Tony makes a mental note to find him some salve, in the morning when he’s less drunk. He curls an arm around the boy’s waist and pulls him close. He’s a pretty light sleeper, and any escape attempts will probably wake him. The boy promised, sure, but he’d also been tied up for the last few hours; they aren’t exactly in a trusting relationship. Not yet, anyway. Eventually, though, they will be, Tony’ll make sure of that.

 

When Steve wakes the next morning, the first thing he notices is that he’s still loose and open from the night before. The thought makes shame rise up in him, remembering how he’d moaned for it like a whore. The second thing he notices is that a red haired girl is standing over him, holding a cloth.

“Hello,” she says, softly, sitting down beside him. “I’m Pepper. Tony sent me to clean you up.”

“Steve,” he says, and his voice is hoarse.

She smiles at him softly as she holds out the cloth to him. He takes it, and very gingerly sits up.

“Who’s Tony,” he asks, though he has a feeling he knows the answer.

“My brother,” she says, with something like a fond smile. “He was with you last night. I don’t suppose anyone explained anything to you, have they?”

Steve shakes his head and cleans himself carefully but thoroughly. It’s not like he has any modesty left, at this point.  
Pepper sighs. “That’s so like Tony. He’s brilliant, but I swear he’d lose his head if it wasn’t attached. Yesterday was his birthday. He went on his spirit quest, then got his tattoo, and well, you.”

“Am I his slave?” Steve asks, cautiously. The ropes he was tied with last night certainly point in that direction, as well as Tony’s words that he isn’t free to leave. Steve’s not sure about that, yet, though. Once he knows more, he may be able to work out a plan for escape, one that won’t endanger his village.

“His bride,” Pepper corrects. She kindly looks away when he cleans between his thighs and further up, inside himself. “He’s the head of the household now. Well, he has been for months, but now it’s official. He brings back the meat and represents the family within the tribe. It’s your job to bear and raise the children, and take care of things here, while he’s gone. I’ve been doing that part ever since he took over the household when our father died last year, but it’s your responsibility now. I can teach you, though, don’t worry.”

“Thank you,” he tells her, because she seems like a nice girl, and it’s not her fault he’s in this situation. He’s still certain there’s a way out of this mess, but until then, it can’t hurt to have allies.

When he’s finished cleaning, he hands Pepper back the cloth, which she trades for a set of clothes. Steve puts them on slowly, still very aware of how open and used he feels. The cloth is soft, softer than anything Steve’s ever had before, and probably new, too, judging by the bright colors of the dye.

Pepper leads him outside then, and Steve gets his first good look at the encampment. He mentally takes notes on anything that might be useful for his future escape plans. The village is obviously semi-permanent. The buildings are all tent-like structures, but there’s a field of corn and squash growing a bit off in the distance, where Steve can just see men and women tending the crops. On the other side of the village, there’s also a fenced-in paddock full of horses, also being tended to. Steve can see mountains to the east, just on the horizon line, but in all other directions there is only flat plain.

“This is the village,” Pepper says, spreading her arms out to encompass the whole thing. “We’re here from spring to autumn. We tend the fields and care for the children, mostly. There’s a big river about a day’s walk, too, so sometimes we send someone to bring back fish. The heads, like Tony, help when they’re here, but they can be gone for days or weeks at a time, hunting.”

She guides him toward the paddock, where two men are arguing. As they get closer, Steve can see one of them is the man from last night, Tony. The shame rises in him again, and Steve’s not sure he can look this man in the face, not after what happened. Pepper’s not giving him much of a choice about approaching though, hand pressing against the small of his back and leading him forward. He could fight her, but he’s got a feeling that his best bet for escape is to not make a scene. He’ll have to pretend he’s accepted it all, lure them into false confidence, then he’ll make his move, whatever that move might be. But to do that, he’s going to have to face Tony.  
The man in question looks up as they approach, and waves a bit, wiggling his fingers. The man he’d been arguing with throws his arms up in the air in apparent frustration, then turns and walks swiftly away. 

“Hello, loves of my life,” Tony says, leaning casually against the fence. “Showing the new guy the ropes, huh, Pep?”

“Someone has to, Tony,” Pepper says, in a longsuffering voice. “And because you probably didn’t even bother to find out, his name’s Steve.”

“Steve,” Tony repeats, and it feels so wrong to hear his name coming out of that man’s mouth that Steve has to take a few steps back. Tony notices him doing it, and something flashes briefly across his face, too quick for Steve to really see what the expression was. Then the grin’s back, and Tony’s holding out his hand.

“Come on,” he says, “I’ll show you the horses.”

Steve hesitates, but then Pepper’s giving him a little shove forward and Tony’s grasping his hand, helping over the fence. Apparently satisfied Steve’s taken care of, Pepper walks away, back toward the tents.

“Know anything about horses?” Tony asks, his hand on Steve’s back where Pepper’s had been before, leading him forward toward the nearest horses. Steve shakes his head. His village was near the mountains, and they had a few llamas, but no horses. Since his village was permanent, unlike this one, and subsided mostly on grown crops, there had been no need for horses.

“That’s fine,” Tony says, stopping in front of a group. “You’ll learn quick enough, everyone does. I have no idea whether or not you’ll have to take care of these guys, you’ll have to ask Pepper for that, but there’s always a few here, at least, so you can come say hi to them or whatever, anytime you want.”

Tony points each of them out in turn: names like Snowy, Sweetpea, Mush, Lily, Rose, Franklin, and for some reason, Old Roundtop. There’s more horses in the paddock than Steve can even count, but Tony seems to know all of their names, birthdates and personality quirks. Steve is honestly a little bit impressed, despite his best efforts, and he has to remind himself again what this man did to him last night.

It’s especially easy to remember when Tony starts talking about the rope they use for the horses. Tony designed it himself apparently. It holds knots extremely well and is almost impossible to break. Steve knows firsthand, actually, because they used the same rope on him last night. 

Of course, just as he’s working up his righteous anger and shame again, a little spindly colt comes up behind Tony and nuzzles at his back. Tony whips around to see what hit him, and when he turns back, his smile is sweet and open.

“And of course, this is my baby, Dummy,” he says, scratching behind the colt’s ears. “He’s not very smart, and he’ll bug the hell out of you anytime you’re in the paddock, but he’s a cutie, I’ll give him that.” His smile falters a little with his next words, but he keeps patting the colt’s head. “His mother died when he was born, so you know, we have that in common, even if I’m a genius and he’s just a dummy.”

He seems to rally, then. “Want to pet him?”

Steve reaches out, unsure, but Tony’s right, the colt is pretty cute. Dummy moves his head up against Steve’s hand when they touch, and Steve thinks maybe horses aren’t so bad, after all.

The moment’s interrupted by Steve’s stomach, which chooses exactly then to remind him that he hasn’t eaten yet, today. It’s got to be near noon, and Steve’s honestly pretty hungry. He worries, for a minute, what Tony’s going to say, but then the man laughs.

“Come on,” he says, and grabs Steve’s arm. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

As they’re walking away, Steve takes a look back into the paddock. Horses, he thinks and adds them to his assets for escape.

 

Tony watches his bride eat, noticing again how underfed the boy is. With the shirt on, Tony can’t see his ribs sticking out, but he knows they’re under there, mocking him. It doesn’t matter, though. Tony’s going to feed this boy up. Even now, he’s eating the meat from the buffalo Tony helped bring down. It’s a nice feeling, knowing he’s doing right by this kid, especially after what happened last night. Tony doesn’t regret it, exactly. It was what had to be done, and there was no other choice for either of them. And Tony, at least, made sure Steve enjoyed himself, too. Still, it wasn’t much consolation when he remembered that Steve had been kidnapped, taken away from everything he knew, then tied down and raped. Well, Tony’ll make it up to him, somehow. He’s going to make Steve happy if it’s the last thing he does.

After lunch, Pepper reappears in that silent, competent way she has, and steals Steve back. Tony protests, of course, but Pepper levels him with a look.

“He has to learn his responsibilities, Tony. I know you don’t care if this house falls apart, but some of us do.” And that is just a bald faced lie. Pepper’s smiling as she says it, so Tony knows she’s joking, but still. Tony cares about his house and the people in it more than anything. Not that he’d admit it.

“Pfft,” he says, waving a hand, as if to brush away the thought of responsibilities. “House, Shmouse. All I care about are the horses. In fact, I think I’ll go over to the paddock now and invite a few of them to be in my house, instead of you two. We’ll see how much you care about responsibilities when there’s a horse in your bedroll tonight.”

Pepper laughs and kisses his cheek. “Come on, Steve,” she says, and pulls him away.

Tony really does go back to the paddock, then, and argues with Rhodey some more, just because he can. He makes sure to keep an eye on his sister and bride, though. He watches as Pepper takes Steve over to the fields, shows him how to work with the crops. Tony remembers that being his least favorite chore, as a child. He was terrible at it, too, spent the whole time he was supposed to be working daydreaming about horses or sneaking off to see them. All he’d wanted out of life, then, was to work with horses and go on hunts. And now that he’s officially the head of his house, he can do those things without the looks he’s been getting in the months since his father died, like he didn’t quite belong.

 

Dinner is a more formal affair than lunch or breakfast is. When there’s no hunt, at least. Tony knows from experience on both sides of the equation how informal and rushed a dinner can be during a hunt, both at the hunting camp and here at the village. But tonight, everyone’s here, which means it’s a formal event. It’s custom that everyone sits in their houses, so Steve’ next to Tony and Pepper’s on Steve’s other side. Their house is pretty small, compared to some, and it’s not particularly rich. It’ll be both large and prestigious, someday though, if Tony has his way. If he can negotiate Pepper a marriage with someone younger than her, she’ll stay in Tony’s house, and her bride will come along, too. Then they’ll start having babies, and by that point Steve and Tony will probably have a few babies of their own. So yeah, in a few years Tony’s house will probably double in size, at least. And as for the prestige, well, Tony’s got some ideas about that, too.

Tonight, though, this is nice, just the three of them in their own little group, eating salted meat and spring vegetables, huddling around the fire against the slight chill of the night air. Tony does his duty, subtly making sure Steve gets at least three helpings in him. When everyone is more or less finished eating, the music starts up, and Tony knows he’s got to make the rounds. There are people he needs to talk to about making improvements to the horse paddock, and there are people he needs to talk to out of social obligation. He’s already made accidental eye contact with at least two people across the fire, so he’s going to have to talk to them, too. It’s going to be at least an hour before he can get away, and Tony sighs.

“Pep,” he says, standing. “Make sure Steve here gets back to the tent okay, yeah? I’ve got to talk to a man about a horse.”

 

Pepper leads Steve back to their tent pretty soon after Tony leaves. Everything looks different in the dark and Steve makes note of it. If he’s going to escape, he’s probably going to have to do it in the dark, so it’s best to know now if there are any obstacles he might encounter, other than the dark itself. Of course, then they get inside the tent and Steve’s blood goes cold. He’d forgotten, somehow, with everything else going on and his plans to escape, what he’s actually here for. Pepper’d told him, clear as anything, that he’s supposed to bear children.

Steve isn’t stupid. He knows that thing Tony did to him last night was to make babies. He also knows that it doesn’t succeed every time. Sometimes it takes a few tries and sometimes it takes a lot of tries, before a baby’s made. Which means Tony’s probably going to come back tonight, after he’s done doing whatever he’s doing, and want to get inside Steve again. Steve just isn’t sure he can handle it, not again. It’s not that it had been very painful, though it had hurt a bit, but what really bothers Steve is the idea of it, of being used like that, of a baby being forced into him. He’s always thought he’d have children, someday, but he’d like to have the choice about when and with whom it happens.

“You’ll be over there with Tony,” Pepper tells him, pointing to the spot he was tied last night. “He probably won’t be done for a while, but he won’t mind if you sleep. Take off your clothes first, though. No point in wasting material. And I’ll be right over here, if you need me.” She goes over to the opposite wall of the tent from Tony’s pallet and begins to undress. Steve averts his eyes, and, unwillingly, begins to strip.

He lays, naked and shaking from nerves for at least an hour before the tent flap moves again and Tony comes in. Steve closes his eyes most of the way, pretending to be asleep. Maybe, if Tony sees he’s asleep, he’ll let Steve have a break for the night from baby-making. He watches as Tony goes to Pepper’s pallet, and leans down to gently stroke her hair.

“Good night, darling,” he whispers, so soft Steve almost doesn’t catch it. Then he comes over to where Steve is lying, strips and curls up behind him. Steve knows his shaking is giving it away that he’s not really asleep, but Tony doesn’t say anything about it, just wraps an arm around Steve’s middle like he had last night and pulls him close. 

Steve waits and waits, for Tony to say something or do something, to touch Steve or anything, really. But eventually Tony’s breaths even out and Steve knows he’s asleep. Apparently, Steve’s plan worked, somehow. Tony didn’t make him do anything at all. Tonight, at least. Tomorrow night, who knows. It’s that thought that Steve plays over and over again in his head, until he finally falls asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
> 
> Tribal society!au.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a lovely comment by [mata](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mata/pseuds/mata), I’ve been thinking more Genghis Khan than American Indian for this chapter. Of course, then I did a tiny bit of research and found out about how important horses were to the Mongolians, just like they are to Tony. Old Genghis himself said “It is easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse.” Not that I see Tony as the next Genghis Khan, any more than I see him as the next Voldemort, but there are still all those lovely references by the Ten Rings leader to the guy in IM1 to consider.

Pepper shakes him awake the next morning, considerably earlier than the day before. Tony’s gone already, though, and Steve feels such a sudden flash of relief that he nearly smiles. It feels like cowardice, but the less time Steve has to spend around Tony, the happier he’ll be. The only thing that’s keeping him going at this point is knowing that a plan for escape is in the works. With Tony around, making an escape plan is almost impossible. Even when Steve manages to forget about what happened that first night, it’s still incredibly hard to think around Tony.

Apparently, they do eat breakfast here, and Steve just wasn’t up in time for it yesterday. Pepper takes him out to the fire, where there’s porridge waiting for them. Steve eats slowly, savoring it. In his village, he didn’t usually get breakfast. Some days, he was lucky even to get lunch. His village doesn’t treat orphans like him so well, but still, it’s his village, the only one he’s ever known, before this. If only he could figure out a way to get back there, everything would be better.

After they eat, Pepper leads him back out into the fields. It’s not easy work, in the fields, but it’s satisfying. Steve picked up the process pretty quickly after Pepper showed him yesterday. It’s nothing like he’s ever done before, in his own village, but he quite enjoys it, the weeding and the fertilizing, helping the plants grow. 

When they’ve worked for several hours, Pepper takes them back to the fire for lunch and gets them food. Tony’s there, too, but he’s sitting with the man he was arguing with yesterday morning. When he sees them, he waves them over.

“Steve,” he says, standing up. “This is Rhodey,” he gestures toward the other man. “Rhodey, this is Steve.”

The other man, Rhodey, stands, too and offers his hand to Steve. “Nice to meet you,” he says. “You must be a saint to put up with this guy,” he nods at Tony. “I know I sure couldn’t do it. I’m honestly not sure how Pepper’s survived this long.”

Pepper laughs charmingly. “The trick,” she says, leaning in conspiratorially, “is to tune him out. He’s not half as terrible if you don’t listen to anything that comes out of his mouth.”

“Hey!” Tony says, but even Steve can tell he’s not really offended. “You guys don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m the one that has to put up with you two, ganging up on me all the time, never letting me have any fun.” He looks right at Steve, then. “Don’t listen to them, Steve,” he says, “I’m actually brilliant.”

Steve smiles, despite himself. “So I keep hearing,” he says and they all laugh a bit, even Tony.

After that they all settle in to eat. Tony and Rhodey apparently have very different ideas about what needs to be done in regards to the horses, but Steve doesn’t listen to the arguments on either side. He eats slowly, and thinks, for being kidnapped, things could certainly be worse. He’s not in any hurry to get back to the tent tonight, but the days, they’re not so bad, so far.

 

Steve’s days pretty much take on a routine after that. Pepper wakes him up in the morning, after Tony’s already gone, and together they eat breakfast and head out to the fields. They work there until lunch, then after lunch another shift of workers head out to the fields, leaving Pepper and Steve free to do things that need done for the household, like washing the bedrolls and mending Tony’s clothes. Tony, somehow or another, gets more holes and tears in his clothes than any person Steve’s ever met. Tony’s in charge of making horseshoes for the horses, Steve knows, so that explains some of the holes, the ones that look like they’ve been burnt, but the other ones Steve sees, the long tears that look like they’ve been ripped by animals, Steve has no honest idea where those come from, nor does Pepper when he asks her.

Some days, Tony comes and finds them while they’re working. He always lends a hand, but he’s pretty bad at it. His mending is absolutely terrible, though Steve isn’t sure why. He’s seen Tony’s work on the horse ropes, up close and personal, actually, and the ropes are wonderful. It just doesn’t make sense that his sewing should be so bad. The only thing that Steve can guess is that it’s because Tony’s so easily distracted when he’s bored, getting up halfway through mending a tear to go chat someone up or try to help with something else. 

By the time they’re done with the household chores, there’s usually about an hour left before supper. At those times, Pepper tends to wander off. Steve guesses she must have friends somewhere that she runs off to see. She’s probably about his age, after all, and if Steve had friends here, he’d probably want to be with them, too. It’s during those times, after Pepper’s gone, that Tony comes to see him. Somehow, even if Tony hasn’t been helping out with chores, he always knows when they’re about done, and comes to drag Steve off to the horse paddock. Tony still makes Steve nervous and a bit uncomfortable, but he hasn’t done anything, since that first night. Steve’s starting to hope that he won’t, again. Tony’s not such a bad guy, apart from that, and if Steve just pushes it out of his head, he doesn’t really mind spending time with him.

Supper’s always fantastic, of course, though the formal setting does throw Steve off, for a while. It’s not terrible, though, sitting with Pepper and Tony, as long as Steve keeps his mind off what might be coming later in the night. Steve asks once why they never had to take a turn at cooking, to which Pepper explains that the village has a few men and women whose only job is to do the cooking. This is a very organized village, Steve thinks, and he’s not sure how to feel about that. He hates to think well of any village that would kidnap people and force them to become brides, but still, this village is very well run.

After they eat, there’s usually music and dancing. Sometimes Steve and Pepper stay out for a while, enjoying the atmosphere, but most nights they just head to bed, Pepper to her own pallet and Steve to Tony’s. When Tony comes in, Steve always holds his breath, afraid that tonight will be the night Tony wants to try again for a baby. It never is, though. Tony always just curls up behind him and pulls him close. They never talk, just lie together until they both fall asleep.

 

One day, after breakfast, about a month into this new situation, they’re walking out to the fields to start work when Pepper looks at him oddly and asks, “Did you always sleep so late, or just since you’ve been here?”

Steve was always an early riser, at his own village, and he tells her so. It’s only since he’s been here that he’s been sleeping late into the morning. She purses her lips when she hears this.

“It’s just that pregnancy makes a person very tired, I’ve been told. If you’re sleeping later, maybe the reason is that you’ve conceived.”

“Maybe,” Steve says. He doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he’s been sleeping later because he’s been up late every night, worrying both about the threat Tony poses, sleeping right behind him, and about how his plan for escape doesn’t seem to be coming together very well at all. Still, he doesn’t think he should let her get her hopes up. He searches for a way to say it diplomatically, one that won’t make him blush. “Actually, Tony hasn’t done that to me since the first night.”

That just makes Pepper look sad, though he’s not sure why. “Steve,” she says, stopping them just short of the fields and reaching up to touch his arm. “Tony hasn’t done anything because he doesn’t want to hurt you. He didn’t have a choice about the first night. He had to do what he did, but it really hurt him to know he was forcing you. I could see it in his eyes for days afterward. He wants what’s best for you. We’ll be able to tell for sure in a month or so whether or not you’ve conceived and if you haven’t, you’ll have to try again. But until then, there’s no reason for him to force himself on you, though believe me, I’ve seen heads do it like that. But Tony, he really likes you. You should give him a chance.”

“Oh,” Steve says, suddenly breathless, for some reason. “Okay.” He gives her the best smile he can manage and they start toward the fields again.

It does help, though not in the way she was intending. It gives Steve hope. He’s got at least a few months, then, before Tony will want to get inside him again. That means Steve’s got plenty of time. He’s sure that he can come up with and execute a plan for escape by then. Steve’s a lot happier in the fields that day than he has been in a while.

The rest of the day goes like normal, with one exception. During their time alone in the paddock, feeding and rubbing down the horses, Tony turns to Steve and says, “I’m leaving tomorrow for a hunt.”

Steve’s not sure how to feel about that, honestly. On the one hand, Tony being gone means Steve doesn’t have to worry at night, though with Pepper’s words this morning, he’s not sure he would have, anyway. On the other hand, though, Steve only spends time with two people, really, and Tony’s one of them.

“How long will you be gone?” He asks and Tony shrugs.

“Depends how long it takes us to get something. Two weeks, probably, maybe a bit longer. Why, will you miss me, sweetheart?” He’s wearing that grin again, the one that means he’s teasing. He’s always calling Steve things like sweetheart and love, but Steve’s pretty much gotten over it at this point. He calls Pepper those things, too, so it’s nothing personal, just the way Tony talks.

“Maybe,” Steve answers, noncommittally, and Tony just laughs.

 

That night, after Tony’s back in the tent, he does something he’s never done before and kisses the back of Steve’s neck. Steve tenses, but when no other touching follows, he relaxes again.

“I’ll be gone by the time you wake up,” Tony whispers. “I’ll miss you.”  
Steve doesn’t answer, and Tony doesn’t say anything else, after that. They just lie together until Tony’s breathing evens out and Steve finally falls asleep, too.

 

Steve goes about his business, working the fields, keeping up the household. He’s getting better at both, enough so that Pepper can take more time than she usually does to go see her friends. It’s good for her, Steve thinks. She’s just a kid, after all, and she deserves to have a bit of fun. She’s been talking more and more lately, as they work together, about getting married. Steve does wonder, though she never says and he never asks, if she might not have her eye on someone in particular.

Steve’s days are lonelier, with Tony gone. He didn’t realize just how much time he spent with the man until he isn’t there. Sure, there’s the time together in the paddock, time that Steve now spends there alone, petting Dummy. There’s other times, too, though, when Steve looks around and feels like something’s missing, before realizing it’s Tony.

Meal times are especially odd. They’re less formal with all the hunters gone. There’s still music and laughter, but the tribe is half as big, so everyone interacts a good deal more. Steve meets several people he’s never spoken to before, all of whom seem friendly but none he’d consider a friend, yet. Pepper’s still on his right whenever they eat, but it feels odd, lopsided, that Tony isn’t on his left. Steve just sighs and tries not to think about it, about the reasons behind him missing Tony.

The worst, though, is at night, when Steve’s all alone, with no Tony behind him to hold him or keep him warm. It should be a relief, but somehow, it’s not. Steve misses Tony the worst at night, especially after Pepper’s words about Tony not being a threat.

Tony ends up being gone for nearly three weeks. He gets back after Steve’s already gone to bed, extra blankets wrapped around him to keep out the chill. Steve’s very nearly asleep when there’s a ruckus outside. Steve ignores it, mostly. Sometimes there are inexplicable noises in the camp at night, and Steve’s found it’s better not to ask. So he tunes it out, just rolls over to face the tent wall. That position is the reason he doesn’t see Tony come in, the reason he’s startled when Tony curls up behind and around him and nuzzles his neck.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Tony whispers, pulling him closer. “Did you miss me?”

Steve did, and no one's more surprised than him about it, but he’s not going to admit it. “You smell like horse,” he says instead. It’s true, too. Tony usually smells like horse, after spending most of his day with them, but Pepper usually manages to get him into a bath about once a week. It’s not an easy task. For some reason, Tony can’t stand water. Steve would bet Tony hasn’t bathed the entire time he’s been gone. Despite that, though, the smell is somehow comforting, and Steve leans back against Tony, falling asleep almost at once.

 

The hunt went well, Tony thinks. They brought down enough buffalos that there won’t be a need for another hunt for at least a few months. Tony spent his entire childhood wishing he could be hunting. It’s different now that it’s his duty to hunt, though. It’s not that doesn’t enjoy it, but he misses his house when he’s gone far more than he thought he would. This wasn’t his first hunt, by any means. Tony’s father’s been dead for nearly a year, now, and someone had to step up and take his place. This was the first hunt since he’d been with Steve, though, and Tony’d missed him like crazy, the whole time. Pepper, too, but Steve especially. It’d been worst at night, when Tony’d had to cuddle up with Rhodey for warmth. Rhodey’s not half the bedpartner Steve is. He kicks in his sleep and if Tony’s not careful, he’ll end up with no blankets by morning. Tony has no idea how Rhodey’s bride puts up with it.

Now that he’s back at the village, though, Tony’s been noticing something different about Steve. The thing is, he’s way more clingy than he was before Tony left. Before, Tony’d held him as they slept, and Steve held himself as rigidly as possible. Now, though, Steve not only lets him cuddle, but cuddles back. It’s a drastic improvement, though it does make Tony lament Rhodey’s bedpartner qualities even more. 

The whole thing makes Tony think that maybe Steve’s forgiven him for their first night together, or at the very least stopped being afraid of him. It makes it more difficult, too, though, because pretty soon, they’re going to know if Steve conceived or not. And if he didn’t, well, they’re going to have to try again. It could set their whole relationship back by months, and that’s something Tony seriously doesn’t want. He’s not going to have a choice, though, if Steve’s not pregnant. They need a baby, it’s their duty.

It gives him hope, then, a few weeks after Tony gets back from the hunt, when Steve stops eating. Normally, this would not be a good thing. Steve was terribly underfed when he first came here, and Tony’s made it his mission to feed him up. He’s been doing a pretty good job of it, too, he thinks, subtly refilling Steve’s plate every night until Steve looks like he’s comfortably full, then adding another helping, just for good measure. The result has been that Steve’s no long skin and bones. He’s been filling out nicely, and it’s only made him all the more beautiful.

Now, though, Steve’s stopped eating much of anything at all, and Tony’s got reason to believe it might be the pregnancy sickness. Pepper’s mother told him, when he was a child, and terribly interested in babies, that the pregnancy sickness is the real start of the pregnancy. It’s the first sign that conception has occurred. Then about a month after the sickness, if conception has actually occurred and it’s not some other type of sickness, the baby should start to be visible. It probably says something sappy about Tony that he’s been wanting babies since he was practically a baby himself, but he’s really excited about this. Not excited enough to let it change things, though. His relationship with Steve is delicate enough. He’s just going to keep doing what he’s been doing, feeding Steve at supper and holding him at night, taking him to the paddock and spending as much time with him as possible. If Steve is pregnant, it’s all the better. If not, well, they’ll deal with it when they have to.

 

Steve’s been nauseous at least a week before he realizes what it means. He knows Pepper and Tony have been watching him, but neither of them have said anything, so Steve figures they’re just concerned. Pepper’s been taking up his slack in the fields when Steve has to slink off and vomit, away from the crops. The nausea never lasts long, but it comes and goes all day. Steve tries to work harder to make up for it, during those times when he’s not feeling sick. Tony helps, too, though not in the same way. He rubs Steve’s back at night, when supper’s left him too sick to move, and makes shushing sounds when Steve can’t stop the whimpers. He also doesn’t say anything about the times Steve’s accidently elbowed him awake while diving for the tent flap in the middle of the night. After two or three nights of this, though, Tony does come back with a basin, freshly carved, probably by Tony’s own hand, so Steve doesn’t have to leave the tent to puke. It’s both sweet and extremely practical. Steve only hopes whatever he’s got isn’t contagious.

Then one day, it’s midmorning and he’s on his knees a bit away from the fields, dry heaving, when he feels a hand on the back of his neck. He looks up to see a boy about his age, with curly brown hair and a kind smile.

“Hi, I’m Bruce” the boy says, and helps Steve to his feet. 

“Steve,” he manages, and clings to the boy until he gets his balance.

Bruce nods. “Yeah, I know. Tony sent me out here to get you. Why don’t you come back to the village with me. I’m training to be a healer. I can help you.”

At this point, Steve’s willing to take any help he can get. He nods and Bruce helps him stumble back to the village. Bruce doesn’t say anything more about the help he’s offering until he’s got Steve in the healing tent, sitting on a pallet. They’re all alone in the tent, and Steve wonders vaguely where the healer is who’s training Bruce. It doesn’t really matter, though. Help is help, and Steve certainly needs it.

“So this is your first pregnancy, then?” Bruce asks, as he’s rummaging around on a shelf.

That gets Steve’s attention like nothing else. “What?” he asks, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. 

Bruce turns back around, a curious look on his face and a bottle in his hand. “Didn’t you know?” He asks. “Tony said you’ve been sick about a week and a half. These symptoms aren’t unique, but they’ve lasted too long to be anything else. Here,” he holds out the bottle, and Steve takes it with shaking hands. “Take this whenever you feel sick.”

Steve feels pretty sick right at this moment, so he uncorks it and takes a sip. It’s not the best thing he’s ever tasted, but it’s not so bad. 

“What’s in it,” he asks.

“You know,” Bruce says with a shrug, “Herbs, mostly. Meadowsweet, wild yam, a bit of peppermint, some other things, too. It depends on the person, but I’ve heard it works miracles.”

“You haven’t used it?” Steve asks. It’s probably too soon for the liquid to work, but he’s feeling a bit better, now that he’s taken it, or at least more calm. 

“Oh, no,” Bruce says, and he blushes a bit. “I’ve never been pregnant. I’m not even married yet. I’ve got an understanding with a girl, but, well, we’ve got to wait for her head to get himself settled before anything else can happen.”

“Good luck,” Steve tells him, and means it. 

“Thanks,” Bruce says, then clears his throat. “Anyway, just use this stuff whenever you feel nauseous, and when you run out, come back to see me. I’ll have some more ready by then. Once you get further along, we’ll start you on some other things, too, to help with the birthing pains.”

Steve’s world goes a bit sideways when he hears the words “birthing pains.” Somehow, in all this time Steve’s been thinking about conception, he never even once considered how the baby was going to come out. He concentrates on just breathing for a few minutes, trying hard not to think about it, and when he pulls himself together, Bruce is rubbing his back.

“S-sorry,” Steve stutters. “I just hadn’t thought about the-”

“The birth?” Bruce kindly finishes for him. “Don’t worry. I won’t lie, it’s not going to be pleasant, but between me and Tony, we’ll take good care of you.”

“Tony?” Steve asks. He’s almost certain Tony knows nothing about healing. Two days ago, he’d cut his arm making new arrowheads and wrapped the cut with an old horse blanket. It probably would have gotten infected if Steve hadn’t cleaned it out and rewrapped it with a fresh bandage. Steve likes the man a lot, but he’s not someone he especially wants involved in his healing.

Bruce must be able to tell what he’s thinking by the expression on his face, because he laughs. “It’s worrying, I know,” he says. “But Tony’s actually really knowledgeable about delivering babies. He usually helps with births when he can, and he’s the one that births all the foals. In fact, that little colt that follows him around, the silly one, I can’t think of his name-”

“Dummy,” Steve supplies and Bruce nods.

“That’s right, Dummy. If Tony hadn’t been there when that horse was born, he would’ve died with his mother. Tony saved him. And you should have seen how upset he was when the mother died a few days later. He may not be the best healer, but he’s a damn good man to have around come birthing season.”

They talk for a while more, then Steve feels well enough to return to the fields. Pepper asks him if he’s alright when he gets back, but he just nods and gets back to work. Later, when they’re eating lunch, he turns to her. He knows she’ll be pleased for him, but he’s still inexplicably nervous to tell her what Bruce said. Finally, he just blurts it out.

“The healer said I’m pregnant.” He blushes as he says it.

Pepper makes a sound that’s close to a shriek and leans forward at once to hug him. “Oh I knew it,” she says, grinning, “I just knew it, way back at the beginning, I knew it. Oh, this is such good news, Steve. I’m so happy for you. Have you told Tony yet?”  
Steve shakes his head. “Haven’t had the chance.”

It’s true, but at the same time not the whole reason. Steve wanted to get back to the fields as soon as he felt well enough, because he wants to pull his weight in the village. He’s being fed three times a day, so he should work hard enough to deserve that, which meant getting right back to the fields instead of going off to find Tony. But the other part Steve’s a little shy about admitting, even to himself. If Bruce is right about how much Tony knows about pregnancy, Tony probably already knows, but Steve still wants to be the one to tell him and he wants to do it in Tony’s favorite place.

After lunch, there are still chores to be done. Clothes need fixed and beds need washed, and there’s a tear in the tent flap that needs sewed up. Steve makes a note as he’s washing the beds to force Tony into a bath tonight, whether he thinks he needs it or not. After all that’s done, it’s nearly supper, but there’s just enough time for Steve to track Tony down out in the paddock.

“Hey,” he calls out as he climbs over the fence. Tony’s with Dummy, who’s grown considerably since Steve first met him, trying to fit a lead onto him. Dummy is not having any of it, squirming and backing away, stepping on Tony’s feet as often as he can manage.

Tony looks up and waves to him. Dummy takes advantage of his distraction to work the rope off and run away, neighing happily. Tony picks up the rope and stares after him.

“For crying out loud,” he says, though Steve can tell he’s not actually angry. He shakes his head. “Never mind, I’ll get him tomorrow.” He looks back at Steve and takes a few steps forward to meet him. “What’s up, cutie? Feeling any better.”

Steve nods. “Yeah,” he says. “Bruce gave me something to drink for the sickness. He, um, he also told me what was wrong.”

Tony’s eyes are wide, and maybe a bit hopeful. He nods for Steve to continue.

“I’m pregnant,” Steve says, shyly.

Tony grins, wide and relieved. “That is great, sunshine. That is fantastic. There are no words for how fantastic that is.” He wraps his arms around Steve. They just stand there for a few minutes, holding each other until the supper bell rings and breaks them apart. As they start back toward the fire, Tony grabs Steve’s hand, and doesn’t let go until they’re back in the village.

It isn’t until later, much later, after Tony’s already asleep behind him that it occurs to Steve how much more difficult it’s going to be to escape, now that he’s pregnant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
> 
> Tribal society!au.

Not a lot changes for Steve, after finding out he’s pregnant. Little things change, but nothing big. Steve stops worrying completely about any threat Tony might pose, but he’d pretty much stopped worrying about that a while ago. Tony does get a lot more cuddly at night, something Steve thought wasn’t even possible. Ever since they found out about the baby, Tony’s been all over him, just touching and rubbing his belly. There’s barely a bump there, but Tony really, really, enjoys touching it. Steve doesn’t mind, so much, except that it tickles, a bit. Aside from that, the only changes come from Pepper, who makes sure he drinks enough and takes a few breaks during the day. 

Mostly, though, things stay the same. Steve gets up in the morning, works, spends time with Tony, and then goes back to sleep. It sounds pretty unsatisfying, but honestly, Steve’s content. The only real problem Steve has, aside from the distant threat of childbirth, is that his escape plan just refuses to come together. There’s nothing solid yet, though he’ll get there, he’s sure. Other than that, things are pretty good. Steve’s happier than he’s probably ever been.

At about four months, the baby starts to move, which isn’t as fun as it sounds. Oh, Steve’s sure it’s fun for Tony, who only has to feel it from the outside, hands pressed against Steve’s belly. But for Steve, it’s just uncomfortable. It also really makes it real, for the first time, and Steve sometimes has to stop and just think about the fact that there’s someone growing inside him. It’s deeply strange, though not, he thinks, unwelcome. He’s ready to love this baby with everything he’s got, even if it kills him.

 

Eventually, Tony has to go back out on another hunt. He’s not happy about it, but there’s nothing he can do. If he doesn’t go, his house won’t eat. It’s his duty, and Tony accepts that, he does, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it. Every instinct he’s got is telling him he needs to be here for Steve. He knows, rationally, that Pepper will take good care of him while Tony is gone, make sure he eats and doesn’t work too hard, but who’s going to be there to cuddle with him at night, or blow raspberries on his belly? Those are things that only Tony can do, and while he’s gone, Steve will have to go without. Tony never, ever wants Steve to go without anything.

At least there’s one small glimmer of hope on the horizon.

“Don’t worry,” he tells Steve the night before Tony’s supposed to leave. “This hunt won’t last as long as the last one. We’ll be back in a little over a week, in time for Natasha to leave on her spirit quest.”

Since Natasha’s only a few months younger than Tony, they pretty much grew up competing with one another. She’s a tough bitch, and that’s for sure. She’ll make a great asset to the hunting party, once she gets back from her spirit quest. And as long as she stays away from Tony with anything sharp, they’ll be golden. Tony’ll never admit it, but Natasha’s made him nervous ever since she stabbed him in the neck when they were eleven. It hadn’t been a deep wound, but Tony’s still got the scar. He swears it prickles every time she tries to sneak up on him.

“Which one’s Natasha?” Steve asks. Sometimes Tony forgets that Steve doesn’t know many people here. It’s not that the tribe is unfriendly or anything, but they do have pretty scheduled lives. Steve usually only interacts with the people that work in the fields at the same time he does. And Tony and Pepper, of course, but they don’t count.

“The mean looking redhead,” Tony says, and shivers a bit, for effect. “She’s vicious, Steve. I bet she’ll have no problem at all on her spirit quest, because all the wild animals and the heat and everything will be too afraid of her to go after her. Me, I was nearly delirious, but I bet she walks back into camp fresh as a spring fucking daisy.”

Tony stops his rant, but only because Steve’s laughing at him. He’s got plenty more to say about Natasha, though. He could recite epic poems with everything he’s got to say about her.

“You’re such a goofball, Tony,” Steve tells him, but he scooches closer, so Tony knows he doesn’t mean it. Or if he does mean it, he doesn’t mind, at least. Tony nuzzles him, and then Steve’s quiet for so long Tony thinks he’s asleep. Tony’s almost asleep himself when he hears Steve whisper, “I’ll miss you.” And that, right there, might make the whole trip worth it.

 

Tony’s pretty distracted the whole hunting trip, but apart from some teasing from Rhodey, no one really says much about it. They all know his bride’s pregnant with their first child, so he gets some leniency. Still, just because he’s distracted doesn’t mean he’s not a first class hunter. What he lacks in aim, he makes up for in strategy, and it’s only thanks to Tony’s brilliant plans that they bring down two of the buffalo. Also thanks to his new and improved arrow heads. He’d worked on those for weeks, and they at least two times better than the old ones. It’s all about design. Well, design and material, but mostly design. Tony’s a genius, he’s always said so.

By the time they ride back into camp a week and a half later, dragging three buffalo behind them, there’s only a day left before Natasha has to leave on her spirit quest. Perfect timing, really. There’ll be just enough time for Tony to have a very short, very dutiful conversation with her, hopefully surrounded by lots of people, and wish her luck. He does that first, to get it out of the way.

He finds her outside her house’s tent, sharpening her knives. Tony doesn’t shudder, but only because she’s watching him. He keeps it short and sweet. 

“Good luck tomorrow, Natasha,” he says. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”

She replies with a friendly, “Fuck off, Tony,” which is a cue to retreat if Tony’s ever heard one.

Then, Tony goes to find Steve. He’s seriously been lacking in Steve-cuddles this past week, and that needs remedied, like, now. He finds him, after much searching, in the horse paddock, which makes a warm glow of pleasure flood into Tony’s stomach. His favorite guy in his favorite place, petting that stupid horse, Dummy, who, honestly, holds a special place in Tony’s heart, as well.

Tony doesn’t even think about it, just sneaks up behind Steve and clings. “Hey, sweetheart,” he says, though it’s muffled in Steve’s neck.

“Tony!” Steve says, and he just sounds so happy about it that Tony can’t help but laugh and hold him tighter, one hand creeping down automatically to touch their baby. They stand their together like that until Dummy apparently decides he needs attention, too, and nudges Steve’s shoulder. Tony finally lets go, stepping back a few steps and giving Dummy a few pats on the head.

“You’re ruining my reunion,” he tells the horse, very seriously. Dummy just chews on his shirt sleeve, unconcerned. To Steve, Tony says, “What are you doing out here?”

“Pepper made me take a break,” he says, and he doesn’t sound happy about it. Tony knows Steve feels useless when he’s not working, but at least he’s been taking it easy for the baby’s sake. 

"What were you guys working on?” Tony asks, taking Steve’s hand and guiding him back toward the fire.

“Natasha’s tent,” Steve says. “I never realized how much work went into making one. We’ve been working on it since you left, pretty much, and it’s still not done. Pepper seems sure it’ll be finished by the time Natasha gets back though.”

“It’d better be,” Tony says without thinking. “Otherwise I’m not sure where they’re going to put her bride one the raiding party brings him back.”

Tony keeps walking and nearly has his arm jerked out of its socket when Steve stops short. When Tony turns to look back at him, his face is white and he’s swaying slightly.

“Steve?” Tony asks, suddenly alarmed. He lets go of Steve’s hand to grab his shoulders and steady him. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”

Steve shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. Tony helps him sit on the ground and hovers over his shoulder, hand clenching nervously. He hasn’t even considered it until now, but what would he do if something bad happened to Steve and the baby. Tony’s never seen a mother die during childbirth, but it happens, and it’s not that uncommon. Tony’s own mother died that way. He killed her, as sure as anything, his father used to tell him so all the time. And now, what if he’s killed Steve, by putting this baby in him. Tony should have just said “fuck duty” that first night. He and Steve could have just taken Pepper and run away together, gone somewhere no one would ever have to conceive and then they’d all just stay alive.

Tony’s pretty much useless the whole time Steve is on the ground. He offers to go get Bruce, but Steve shakes his head, face in his hands, so Tony just hovers and worries. Eventually, after a few long, tense minutes, Steve looks up at him again.

“I’m okay,” he says, and holds up his hands for Tony to help him to his feet. He’s lying; his face is still pale and he’s shaking the tiniest bit, but Tony doesn’t call him on it. He just tries to calm his own breathing and gets them moving again, back toward the fire and supper.

 

Steve is such an idiot and he didn’t even realize. This whole week they’ve been sewing Natasha’s tent, and the only thing he was thinking the whole time was how nice a gesture it was, congratulations for her completing her spirit quest. Not once did he stop to think what was going to happen in that tent. Not once did it even occur to him that they were going to kidnap another innocent kid, tie him up in that tent and force a baby into him. The worst part is, there’s nothing Steve can do about it.

Steve can feel Tony’s eyes on him all night, as he picks at his supper, nodding along as Pepper talks about something or other. Pepper notices, though, that he’s not really paying attention, and she offers to go with him early back to the tent. Steve’s feeling out of it enough that he doesn’t even protest at her coddling.

Back in the tent, Steve undresses quickly and lies down, back to the tent flap. Tony’s probably going to be in early, tonight, and he’s going to want to talk about it, but Steve’s just not sure he can handle that. He doesn’t want to talk about it, or even think about it. If only, he thinks wistfully, he had an escape plan. Then he could help himself and more importantly, this new bride. He wracks his brain, trying to think of something, anything, that could help them. Nothing comes to him, though, and the baby makes Steve tired enough that he ends up falling asleep, even before Tony comes back.

 

The next few days are awful. Steve gets up in the morning and goes to work in the fields, but everyone can tell he’s not himself. Tony has at least three people come up to him at different points in the day and ask about it. He thinks about going to Bruce, but he’s not sure it would help. For one thing, he doesn’t have any ideas at all about what might be wrong with Steve. He’d been fine when they were in the paddock yesterday, and he doesn’t seem to be having any actual physical symptoms that Tony can see. He’s just upset, and like it or not, that’s kind of a pregnancy thing, too.

So Tony just watches and waits, keeping an eye on Steve from afar. Pepper’s watching, too, he can tell, though they haven’t talked about it. It’s not really enough, but as long as Steve doesn’t get any worse, it’s really he can do. 

That’s how it goes for the next two days, and there’s an awkward tension between Steve and Tony the whole time. Then, on the night Natasha returns from her spirit quest, Steve goes back to the tent before the celebration even starts. Tony makes his excuses and follows after him. He knows Pepper will cover for him. He shouldn’t, it’s not the done thing, but everyone’s seen how off Steve’s been lately, so Tony knows no one will say anything about it. As long as they go in the morning to greet the new couple, it should be fine.

In the tent, Tony finds Steve lying down on their pallet, tense and shaking again. Tony lies down behind him and tries to pull him close, but Steve jerks away from his touch. It hurts, more than Tony will admit, but he can’t give up.

“Are you okay?” he asks. 

Steve’s, “No,” is so quiet Tony almost doesn’t hear it.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Steve doesn’t answer. 

Finally, Tony says, “Well, I’m here if you need me.”

It’s all he can do, and until Steve’s ready to talk, he’s going to keep doing it.

 

The lead feeling in Steve’s stomach never really leaves, even when he’s asleep. When he’s woken up by Tony the next day, though, and told they have to go visit Natasha and her bride, however, it gets a lot worse. He nods, because what else can he do, and dresses. He can’t eat at breakfast, and Tony definitely notices, but at least he doesn’t say anything about it. Tony doesn’t eat much either, but then, he never does.

Then Steve’s time is up, and Tony’s leading him toward Natasha’s new tent, where she and a blonde boy Steve’s never seen before are sitting. The bride, he must be, but he doesn’t half as upset as Steve feels.

“Hi, Natasha,” Tony says, as they walk up.

Natasha gives him a delicate little wave that shows off the new spirit tattoo on her wrist, a surprisingly lifelike black spider. “Tony,” she says disdainfully, then she looks at Steve and smiles. “Steve,” she says rather more pleasantly. “This is my bride, Clint.”

Tony nods at him, but Steve’s just can’t. No one seems to notice. Then Tony sighs, like he’s mentally preparing himself, and, with a quick look at Steve, says, “Natasha, let’s take a walk. I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about.” 

Natasha smirks at him, but obligingly gets up. She pats Steve’s shoulder as they pass. Then they’re both gone, leaving Steve alone with Clint. He sits, awkwardly, in the spot Natasha was just sitting in, trying to find the words to say.

“Are you okay?” he finally asks.

Clint looks at him strangely. “Uh, yeah,” he says, like it should be obvious. 

It’s not the answer Steve was expecting. He’s not sure how he felt the morning after this baby was conceived, but he’s pretty sure it wasn’t okay. 

“But don’t you feel violated? Don’t you miss your village?” he asks, a bit desperately. He doesn’t want to cause pain in this man, but he needs answers. He needs to know.

Clint scoffs. “Are you kidding? A sexy lady pins me down and wants to put a baby in me, it’s like a dream come true. Why would I feel violated? And why would I miss my village? Everyone there were jerks. It’s much nicer here. There’re telling me I get three meals a day, warm clothes and a pretty girl in my bed every night. What else could I possibly want? All my life I’ve been waiting for someone to rescue me from my shitty life. I think this might be it, you know?”

“Oh,” Steve says, small and quiet. He hadn’t thought of it like that, before. It makes him feel better, a bit, knowing he won’t have to rescue this bride, as well as himself. He can breathe deep, now, knowing that no one was hurt last night or forced into anything. He even smiles a bit, shakily. It’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he’s a bit lightheaded, to be honest.

“So you’re Tony’s bride, huh?” Clint asks, and Steve nods. “You know, Nat was talking about him all morning. Don’t get me wrong, it was all complaints, but I got the impression she could go on for a while about him. You think I should be jealous? Oh, shit! What if they’ve run away together right now?”

Steve laughs, a little from giddy relief, and a little because he knows exactly what Clint’s talking about. He’s not sure exactly what kind of messed up relationship Tony and Natasha have with each other, but apparently Tony’s ability to babble endlessly about her is mutual.

“Somehow I don’t think that’s likely,” Steve says, patting Clint’s shoulder. “Tony was talking the other day about a stab wound she gave him once. I think he’d be too terrified to go anywhere with her.”

“That could be a front,” Clint says reasonably. “It could all be to hide their epic love.” Then they look at each other and laugh.

 

By the time Tony gets back from his terrible Walk of Doom with Natasha, Steve and Clint seem to be fast friends. Tony’s so relieved to see Steve actually smiling that he goes weak in the knees.

“Oh good,” Clint says, wiping a fake bead of sweat off his forehead. “We thought you two had run away together.”

Tony likes this guy’s style, but the very idea of running away with Natasha makes his eye twitch. Judging by Natasha’s smirk in his direction, she sees it.

“We were going to,” Tony says, to cover it. “But then Natasha realized she forgot her dolly, so she had to come back for it.”

Natasha’s elbow to his ribs is vicious and swift. Tony doubles over, clutching at them, aware that everyone’s laughing at him, even Steve, that traitor. They keep laughing, the jerks, the whole time Tony’s down. When he finally straightens back up, though, he meets Steve’s eyes, shining and lovely, and thinks worth it.

 

The rest of the day goes pretty smoothly. Steve’s no longer looking like he’s two seconds from passing out. He goes to help in the fields, under Pepper’s watchful eye, and when Tony meets him at lunch, he’s eating again. After lunch, Tony’s got some time, so he helps with the mending, doing his very worst job, just to see Steve’s cute little scowl. Clint even comes over to sit by them while he does his own mending, though thankfully he doesn’t bring Natasha with him.

Before supper, Tony and Steve hold hands and take a walk. Steve smiles at him the whole time, and Tony’s just so grateful he’s feeling better that he doesn’t even care what caused it. He’ll find out, eventually, he’s sure, whenever Steve’s ready to tell him. Until then, though, this is fine, great even. They eat supper next to each other, then after Tony makes his rounds, they cuddle together in bed.

Everything is going so smoothly and Tony’s just so happy, that it’s no wonder things go so wrong so quickly afterward.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
> 
> Tribal society!au.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter, just a short epilogue after this
> 
> also, this chapter has only been spot-proofread because i'm just too tired to do it now. i'll fix any mistakes in a day or two, i promise

When Steve wakes up, it’s no surprise to find Tony already gone. Tony’s always gone when he wakes up, though Steve’s not sure where he even goes this early, when the sun’s barely up. Probably to work on his super-secret new arrowheads or something, before prying eyes can find him. It’s a very Tony thing to do, and it makes Steve smile to think about. 

What is a surprise, though, is Pepper, still asleep on her pallet. Steve feels a little flare of triumph. He’s never been awake before Pepper before, for all that Steve’s supposed to be the main caretaker of Tony’s house. He watches her sleep, as he rises and dresses. She looks so soft, asleep, and small. He’s never even considered it before, but Pepper really is just a girl. He could probably carry her, if he had to, he’s grown enough with the regular meals these past few months, though it probably wouldn’t be good for the baby if he did. Physically, though, he probably could carry her, steal her away somewhere.

That’s when the idea comes to him, the one he’s been waiting for ever since that first night in this tent. Pepper’s the key, the one thing that’s going to make his escape work. For some reason, realizing that doesn’t have the effect Steve expected. He doesn’t feel relief, or happiness or excitement, or anything he thought he’d feel, once he came up with a plan. It must be shock, he decides, and goes to wake her up.

 

It takes Steve two days to work out the details. What he’s got to do is get Pepper alone, and somehow unconscious. Then, he can put them both on a horse, not Dummy, but one of the full-grown ones that can hold them both. He’ll just have to ride off, then. Everyone will be so frantic over Pepper missing that they won’t even remember about him. Or if they do, they’ll jump to any number of conclusions that will buy him time. They might think he and Pepper were both kidnapped by an enemy of Tony’s or maybe that he and Pepper ran off together. It doesn’t matter what they think, only that they don’t know the truth, at least not right away. By the time anyone figures out what really happened, Steve will be at his old village with Pepper as insurance that they won’t attack it. And once the tribe agrees not to attack, Steve can release Pepper and they can all just go home. No one will get hurt. It’ll be perfect.

The only problem, as far as Steve can see, is that he’s not sure how he’s going to knock Pepper out without hurting her. He thinks maybe Bruce has something that can help him, and he's right. All he has to do is slip off to the healing tent after lunch and fake insomnia. Bruce hands him another little bottle.

“This’ll work,” he says, cheerfully. “Don’t use too much, though, just a sip will do. You’ll be out like a light in no time.”

Steve thanks him and puts the little bottle in his pocket. Tonight, he thinks. Tonight’s when he’ll do it. He spends the rest of the day going about his business as usual. He mends and repairs with Pepper, then goes to see Tony and the horses. He feels a little wistful that this is their last moment like this together, just the two of them. He’s really going to miss Tony. He thinks about it again at supper, just before he puts his plan into action. He’s going to miss these two, and his life here, but he knows that if he just gets back to his old village, back to where he was before, his life will be normal again.

“Pepper,” he says, once Tony’s gone to talk to the other heads of houses. “Do you want to take a walk?”

She smiles at him brightly, and Steve immediately feels bad, but it’s too late to take the question back, now. “Sure,” she says and helps him to his feet.

Steve leads them, for once, in a winding path to the paddock, where he knows the horses are. He can feel the small bottle in his pocket full of sleeping draught. He’s thinking as they walk, arm in arm, about how he’s going to get Pepper to drink it. He’s still considering by the time they get to the fence.

“This is a nice spot,” he says, stopping their procession and takes the bottle out of his pocket.

Pepper laughs, easily and climbs up to sit precariously on the top rail of the fence. “Of course you think so,” she says. “It’s Tony’s favorite spot and you’re head over heels for him.”

“W-what?” Steve’s breath catches in his throat. “That’s not true.”

“Steve,” Pepper says slowly. “I live with both of you. I see how you two look at each other. It’s no secret. Everyone can see it.”  
She gives Steve a moment to process this, then says, casually, “Now, what was it you dragged me out here to say? If something’s wrong, you know I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

At that moment, Steve realizes just how selfish he’s being. Not just because by executing this plan, he's destroying Pepper’s life, though that’s certainly a big part of it, but he’s also putting the lives of everyone in his old village at risk, if this plan doesn’t work out. All those lives might be taken because Steve wants to go back to the village that hadn’t really treated him that well to begin with. He was only ever orphan to them, and his mother, before she died, had been a whore. 

When he looks at this village, though, he can see that they take care of their orphans. He even knows some of them, the ones that work near him in the fields, Billy, Tommy, Teddy and Eli. These kids, the ones without anyone to represent them, they always get fed and there are families that have taken them in, loved them as their own. It really isn’t a bad village, when you get down to it. 

And in any case, he realizes, what does he really expect to happen when he gets back to his village, that they’ll just take him back, even though he’s clearly pregnant and traveling without a husband? They’ll call him a whore, like they did to his mother, and he’ll have to go into their tents, like she had, and do whatever it was with them that caused her so much pain. No, that’s not a life he wants.

Plus, he knows he’d miss them, Pepper and Tony. Pepper had been his first friend here, kind to him since the day he’d arrived. He’d miss her laugh and her smile and the way she takes charge when things need to get done, even when it’s not her duty. And Tony, Steve would miss him, too, miss the look on his face when he’s with the horses, and the way he curls an arm around Steve before they go to sleep. 

Tony’s always watched out for Steve, done his best by him, except for that first night. Even that night, though, well, Steve has a lot of bad feelings about it. He remembers being terrified and humiliated. What he doesn’t remember, though, is it being painful, and that’s because it wasn’t. Actually, he remembers it feeling really good. At the time, that had been worse than pain, because it confused him so badly. But he can’t help thinking that if Tony wanted to do that to him now, it would be different. There wouldn’t be any fear, because Tony isn’t just some man that might hurt him, he’s someone Steve likes, maybe even loves. And the shame isn’t there, either, because there’s nothing shameful about being Tony’s bride. It doesn’t hurt him anymore to think about himself like that. The feelings he does get when he thinks about it are soft and fluttery. Maybe it’s just the baby causing those feelings, but still, it’s Tony’s baby, and Steve can’t pretend that doesn’t do anything for him, just a little.

All Steve can figure is that he’s been so focused on escaping this whole time that he never even realized he wants to stay. It’s a nice thought, freeing, in a way.

“Actually, never mind,” he says, smiling. He puts the bottle back into his pocket. “It’s nothing. Let’s head back.”

What happens next happens so fast Steve can’t even react. Something, he’s not sure what, probably an animal, startles one of the horses clustered nearby. The horse rears up on his hind legs and lets out an ear splitting whinny, jostling the fence and making Pepper lose her balance. Her arms windmill out, and Steve doesn’t even have time to reach for her before she’s falling backward, into the paddock.

“Pepper!” he cries, trying to climb over the fence. It’s not easy, with the baby in the way, but he manages it. It’s not a long fall, but the paddock is full of rocks around the edge, and when he sees her lying on the ground, eyes closed, he fears the worst. He can’t see any blood, but he doesn’t want to move her to check, in case she’s hurt something inside her. And even if he thought it was a good idea to move her, he probably couldn’t carry her more than a few feet. He has to go for help, it’s the only option, but he can’t leave her here alone, either, What if something else happens while he’s gone?

In the end, he does the only thing he can think of.

“Dummy!” he calls, and the horse trots over immediately. “Dummy,” he says, carefully, looking the horse straight in the eyes. “I need you to watch Pepper, okay? You have to watch her and make sure nothing happens to her. Can you do that?”

Dummy whickers, which Steve thinks means yes. It takes him a minute to climb back over the fence, but when he does he’s off running. He’s worn out by the time he gets back to the fire, but he knows he can’t rest now. He calls for Tony, instead, and the man’s by his side in an instant, clutching his arm.

“Steve, what happened? Are you okay? Where’s Pepper?” He asks, real panic in his eyes.

“She’s hurt,” Steve says between breaths. “She’s at the paddock and she fell and now she’s hurt.”

“Take us there,” Tony says, gesturing to Bruce to follow, and Steve does, as fast as he can.

The baby feels like it’s doing somersaults by the time they reach the paddock and Steve’s panting, hands on his knees, but Dummy’s there standing guard over Pepper, just like Steve asked him to. “Good boy,” he says, breathlessly.

Bruce climbs over the fence first, Tony right on his heels. Steve knows he won’t make another trip across, so he stays where he is, ready to help any way he can.

“She’s okay to move,” he hears Bruce say after several tense moments of silence, then he and Tony are hoisting her up, getting her carefully across the fence. Steve follows along uselessly as they carry her back to the healing tent. Once they’re inside, they lay her down on a pallet, and Steve sees just how young and vulnerable she looks, just like she did whenever he made his stupid plan in the first place. He sits down hard onto the ground.

“I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” Steve whispers. Tony glances at him sharply before looking back at Pepper. 

“What can I do, Bruce?” he asks, but Bruce shakes his head. 

“Nothing we can do,” he says, and he looks almost as distraught as Tony at the realization. “It’s a head injury. Either she’ll wake up or she won’t. Best we can do now is pray.” Then he walks out of the tent, shoulders tight and gait stiff.

“They were going to get married,” Tony says dully, sinking down next to Steve, looking dazed. “After the baby was born. They’d already approached me about it.”

Steve lets out a strangled sob he just can’t hold in anymore. “I’m sorry, Tony,” he says, and he is. He’s so, so, sorry that he ever thought up that stupid plan, that he ever wanted to use Pepper that way. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Tony says, and he reaches over blindly to take Steve’s hand, eyes still fixed on his sister.

“It is, though,” Steve admits, and it hurts to say. “It’s all my fault.”

Tony finally turns to look at him. “What happened?” he asks, as though he’s half-afraid to find out.

Steve tells him the whole stupid thing. He tells him about how used he felt, after that first night, and how much it hurt to see Clint going through the same thing, for all Clint took it better than Steve. He tells him about realizing how he could make a run for it, without anyone getting hurt, with Pepper’s help. He tells him everything, and Tony just listens, sad-eyed and silent.

“I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” he repeats, at the end.

Tony takes a deep, ragged breath, after Steve’s finished talking. “I would have let you go, Steve, if you’d asked.”

“What?” Steve asks, head spinning. “But, you said-” he falters.

“I was drunk that night,” Tony says, and looks away, back at Pepper. “Drunk and delirious from two days in the desert sun, when I told you those things. But if you’d have asked, I would have let you. It would have hurt like hell, but I’d have done it. I love you, Steve, and I’d do anything for you, even fake your death, let you escape, if that’s what you wanted.”

Steve takes a minute to absorb it all, then says, “I lov-”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean,” Tony says, and drops his hand at last. “Please leave, Steve. I want to be alone with my sister.”

“Tony,” Steve tries, but Tony doesn’t look at him, just keeps staring at Pepper’s face.

So Steve leaves, goes to sit outside. He finds Bruce there, staring at his hands. Steve wants to tell him he’s sorry, that he didn’t mean it, but the phrases are starting to lose their meaning, even to him.

Dawn comes and goes, and Steve sees the rest of the tribe getting up, starting their day. Quite a few stop by to check on Pepper and their house, and Steve steps up and does his duty, thanking them for their concern and swearing to pass it on to Tony. He doesn’t go back inside, though. He just stays outside, intercepting well-wishers, and in between visitors, thinking. 

He really messed up, and he knows it. Tony, well, he sounded like he didn’t want Steve around anymore. It hurts more than it should, considering Steve was still planning on leaving him just last night. He’s changed his mind, sure, but it doesn’t work like and he knows it. It’s Tony’s choice, now and Steve will do whatever Tony wants, stay or go.

 

Tony’s been by himself for hours. He can’t even bring himself to pray. All he can do is watch Pepper lie there, and think about how alone he is. His bride doesn’t want him, never has. His baby’s going be take away from him by the man that played him so completely. His sister might never wake up. Tony has no one left. 

How could he have been so stupid, as to make plans for the future he knew would never happen? He always knew he’d be alone at the end. He’d killed his mother, and now his sister, too. The baby might not survive, and even if it does, Tony’ll never even see it. Steve will take it away, and Tony’ll be left with nothing. Isn’t this the future his father warned him about?

He’s not sad, exactly. He doesn’t really feel anything at all, actually. Just emptiness. Like there’s nothing in the world to live for, like there’s no point in anything. It’s why he doesn’t cry, even at the darkest hour, when he’s sure Pepper’s going to stop breathing at any second. He just stares and waits for the inevitable.

 

At about noon, Steve hears a shout from inside the tent for Bruce to come quickly. It’s Tony’s voice, and Steve knows things have either gone very wrong, or improved drastically. Either Pepper’s awake or she’s dead, and Steve’s not sure he can handle the suspense of just standing outside, waiting for answers. That’s why he follows Bruce in, though he’s got no right to be there, not now that Tony doesn’t want him. 

He takes great gulping gasps of relief when he realizes Pepper’s eyes are open and he sees Bruce doing the same. Tony’s crouched down in front of her, with tears in his eyes, clutching her hand. Pepper looks at them all, Steve and Bruce standing and her brother kneeling by her side, then smiles groggily.

“What happened?” she asks, hoarsely, and Bruce snaps into action, checking her over and asking her questions. Whatever he finds seems to please him, because he’s smiling by the end of the examination, taking her other hand and talking to her softly enough that Steve can’t hear what he’s saying. Tony, still clutching Pepper’s hand, looks up at Steve, relief and joy in his smile. Then he seems to remember who, exactly, he’s smiling at and the smile falls away, replaced by a blank mask that makes Steve feel cold.

He turns to leave, but Pepper says, “Wait, Steve! I need to thank you for getting help so quick.”

“Thank Dummy,” Steve tells her, and gets out of their way.

 

The next few days aren’t comfortable. Pepper’s well enough the day after her fall to go back to their tent, but Bruce doesn’t want her working in the fields for a while, just in case. That’s fine, though. Steve leaves her to rest and goes out by himself. He works hard to make up for her absence, and for the part he played in it. After lunch, Steve is as quiet as he can possibly be around the tent and still get the work done. Tony’s nowhere to be found, though Steve suspects he’s out in the pasture thanking Dummy for his newfound obedience. At suppertime, Tony comes in from that direction, backing up Steve’s theory. Steve helps Pepper to the fire, and sits down next to her. Tony sits on his other side, like usual, but he doesn’t talk to Steve. He leans around him, briefly, to touch Pepper’s arm and smile at her, but other than that, he just acts like Steve doesn’t exist. Later that night, in their bed, it’s the same. Tony doesn’t even touch him, just rolls so his back’s to Steve and goes to sleep.

Pepper’s cleared for work in the fields again after three days. She’s good as new, as far as Steve can tell, and he’s glad for it. He never meant for any harm to come to her. He loves her like a sister, and he knows she feels the same, even if she doesn’t know about his part in her accident. He just can’t bring himself to tell her, and he doesn’t think Tony has, either, for some reason.

“Honestly,” Pepper says, as they’re walking out to the fields. “I don’t know what you two are fighting about, but it’s gone on long enough. I think it’s time you made up, don’t you?”

Steve doesn’t say, ‘Tony doesn’t want me, anymore.’ He wants to, but he knows if he says it, she’ll want to help him. He doesn’t deserve her help, not after what he did. It’s his own fault Tony doesn’t want him, and he’s just going to have to deal with that.

Three days turns into a week, turns into two weeks, and Steve and Tony still aren’t talking. It probably has the potential to go on a lot longer, but then Steve wakes up one night in pain and Tony’s there immediately.

“Shh,” Tony says, holding Steve’s hand. “Shh, baby. Tell me what’s wrong. Should I get Bruce?”

“It’s the baby,” Steve manages, between pained contractions. “Something’s wrong.”

“I’ll get Bruce,” Tony says, and goes to stand up, but Steve can’t make his hand let go.

“Don’t leave me,” he says, and Tony nods, kneeling back down.

“Pepper!” he calls, and she jerks away, sitting up. “Something’s wrong with the baby. Get Bruce!”

She’s out of bed and outside in an instant.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Tony tells him, and pushes Steve's hair back off his face. “It’s gonna be okay.” And for the first time in a while, Steve believes it.

 

It’s a good thing it’s dark, Tony think vaguely, as Pepper reappears with Bruce, because both of them were just running stark naked through the camp. Then Bruce starts to examine Steve and Tony puts all his concentration into not panicking. After various poking and prodding, and asking Steve questions, Bruce looks at Tony.

“It’s false labor,” he says, matter-of-factly. “Probably caused by stress.”

“Stress?” Steve asks, still breathing hard from the pain.

“Stress,” Bruce repeats. “With everything that’s been going on lately, with Pepper’s accident and you two fighting, your body can’t handle it. The baby’ll be fine, but only if you keep yourself under control for the rest of the pregnancy. Whatever’s going on between you two, it needs to end, for the sake of the baby.” 

After that it’s all pretty routine. Bruce gives Steve some herbs to take to help with the pain, Steve promises to take them, Bruce gives them both a stern glare, then Pepper and Bruce both go back to bed, leaving Steve and Tony alone, in silence.

“I’m sorry,” Tony starts, but Steve shakes his head.

“It’s my fault, Tony. I’m the one who should be sorry. I know you don’t want me, but I just keep thinking-”

“Wait,” Tony interrupts, surprised. “You think I don’t want you?”

“The night Pepper fell,” Steve explains. “You wouldn’t let me tell you I loved you. And you made me leave.”

“Because you just finished telling me you didn’t want to be with me and never had. Or were you planning on escaping because you secretly enjoyed my company?”

“I told you I changed my mind,” Steve says, defensively. “Before I even realized I’d done it, I changed my mind. I haven’t wanted to leave for a long time, I just thought I did.”

This whole thing is giving Tony a headache. “So, wait, let’s get this straight. Do you or do you not want to be with me?”

“I do,” Steve says, and he’s so earnest and open that Tony believes him.

“Okay,” he says. “Let’s do it, then. Let’s be together again. Simple as that.”

 

Surprisingly, it really is as simple as that. For the time being, at least. Tony’s sure that soon something will come along to fuck everything up, but until then, they’re golden. They start spending time together again, before supper and in the evenings. It’s awkward at first, but they push through it and make it work. The best part, the very best part, is getting to cuddle with Steve again, at night.

Then, of course, all of Tony’s cuddling pays off. One night, a few days after the false labor incident, Steve rolls over to look at him after Pepper’s asleep, when Tony’s pretty close to sleep, himself.

“Tony,” he says, almost hesitantly. “You know that thing we did to make the baby?”

That wakes Tony up like almost nothing else could have. “Yeees,” he says, slowly. “What about it?”

Steve blushes and asks, “Is that only for making babies, or could we do it anytime? Like, for instance, now?” 

Tony makes what he’s sure are a series of incoherent noises while Steve just stares. Eventually, he pulls himself together enough not to just come all over Steve’s thigh. “Yes, we can definitely do that. Are you sure?” Because Tony wants this, he really, really wants this, but not if Steve doesn’t. He never wants to hurt Steve like that again.

“I’m sure,” Steve says. “I wasn’t in the best mindset for it, the first time, but I think now would be better.”

So Tony goes for it. He takes a long, luxurious look at Steve’s body, all swelled up with Tony’s baby, and thinks that this is the hottest thing he’s ever done. He reaches out to touch Steve’s nipples, like he did that first time. This time, though, Steve arches up without shame, letting himself feel the pleasure. They start to leak, too, after a few passes of Tony’s thumb, and his eyes might roll back in his head, a little bit.

When he trails his hand down Steve’s belly, the baby kicks out at the feel of his hand. Tony just adds it to the list of ways in which this could not get any hotter and keeps going.

“Don’t mind us, little guy,” he tells the baby. “We’re going to have sex now, but don’t worry, you won’t feel it.” Finally, all that baby development knowledge is paying off.

Steve keens when Tony takes his cock in hand, gives it a few strokes. It’s a good sound, and Tony doesn’t even care if Pepper wakes up, at this point. She won’t say anything, or if she does, it’ll just be teasing. She’s happy for them, he knows, happy enough to put up with them having sex while she’s asleep in the tent.

Tony takes his time stretching Steve. He likes the feel of it, the heat around his fingers. It’s nothing compared to when he has it around his dick, though. He starts to rock gently in and out, and takes hold of Steve’s cock again. 

"This is how we made the baby,” he whispers, and Steve cries out, though from the words or the sensations, Tony doesn’t know. He hopes it’s both. “And after this baby’s born, this is how we’ll make the next.”

It doesn’t last long; most good things don’t. Tony manages to hold out just long enough to make Steve come, then he lets himself go. He’s careful not to collapse on top of Steve and the baby in him, but it’s a near thing. 

They lie together, afterward. Tony knows Steve has to be leaking everywhere, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Finally, Tony says, “So what did you think?”

“It was good,” Steve decides “Better than last time.”

“And next time, it’ll be even better,” Tony promises.

Steve rolls his head to face him and says the magic words. “Prove it.”


	5. Epilogue

“Guess who’s pregnant again?” Tony singsongs as he sits down around the lunch fire.

Natasha gives him a level look. “I’m guessing it’s not you,” she says, cooly.

“Holy crap, Steve,” Clint says, looking up as Steve approaches with the baby on his hip. “It’s only been a month since you popped that one out. Why the hell would you let Tony get back up in you so soon?”

Steve blushes, but ignores him. He hands the baby to Pepper, who’s making grabby hands for him, then sits down next to Tony. “It was an accident,” he says, quietly.

“It was me.” Tony grins. “I’m super-potent.”

“Actually,” Bruce says, “It was probably Steve. It’s incredibly easy to conceive right after giving birth.”

Tony fixes him with a look. “Bruce. Do you or do you not want to marry my sister and come live in my tent.”

“Well,” Bruce hesitates. “I mean, ‘want’ is probably a strong word for how I feel about living with you.”

Natasha and Clint laugh and pat Bruce on the back while Tony pouts.

“Don’t worry, Bruce,” Steve says, face feeling mostly back to normal. “I won’t let him cancel your wedding festival.”

“Yeah, Bruce,” Tony agrees, smirking evilly again. “You can still marry my sister. Steve and I will just be there the whole time, commenting on your technique while she’s banging you afterward.”

“Tony!” Steve says, mortified.

“Don’t worry, Steve,” Pepper says, still making silly faces for the baby. “In another seven months you’ll have three kids to take care of, instead of just two.”

“That’s it,” Tony says. “I changed my mind again. The wedding’s off.”

“At least Bruce knows what he’s getting, moving in with you freaks,” Clint says. “Poor Steve came into this whole mess blind.”

It’s true. Steve didn’t realize what he was getting into, that first night, didn’t realize the crazy, wonderful family he was becoming part of. It hasn’t even been a year since, then, but everything’s so much different. He’s got a husband now, one he loves with everything he’s got, and a baby, too, with one on the way. He’s got a sister-in-law he adores, and pretty soon she’ll have a bride, too. He’s got friends, more than he’s ever had before. Altogether, he’s got it pretty good.

“You know what,” he tells Clint, taking back the baby as Pepper hands him over. “I think it all turned out pretty great, anyway.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Won't You Take Me By The Hand](https://archiveofourown.org/works/885130) by [RsCreighton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RsCreighton/pseuds/RsCreighton)




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